As appeared in the Times-Republican, Central Iowa's Daily Newspaper, August 19, 2005:

MHS Puts Some Eyes In The Sky To Boost Security

By STEPHANIE SUCKOW
T-R Staff Writer

Slashed tires and key-scrached car bodies will no longer be a part of the Bobcat football experience, thanks to the installation of security cameras throughout MHS this fall.

Instead of dealing with another school year of vandals and thieves, Marshalltown School District officials and the Marshalltown Police Department have teamed up to provide a technological solution to these problems, according to MHS Principal Bonnie Lowry.

"I'm confident once word gets out about the surveillance cameras students will realize that someone is still watching them even though we aren't out there and they'll start making better choices," Lowry said.

Along with a camera in the parking lot of the athletic field, three other cameras will be placed throughout the parking areas and one placed in the north hallway of the building, an area that is currently unsupervised.

Lowry said students who vandalize the hallway area and choose to hide-out there instead of going to class will easily be tracked and punished accordingly with assistance from the new system.

"We want individuals to start making better decisions to respect others and themselves," Lowry said. "But those who continue to break-in to others vehicles and vandalize will face consequences for those poor choices."

Marshalltown Police Chief Lon Walker said local police officers will be a part of the punishment process as two police cars are currently equipped with computer capabilities to receive a live feed from the security cameras.

Walker said the innovative technology will be installed within the next two weeks by RACOM as they are supplying the cameras and wireless system necessary to provide live camera shots to police car computers.

"Instead of receiving a phone call, going through the dispatcher, and then sending an officer out to the problem, they will now have real-time information as the officer is responding," Walker said. "Whether it's a traffic accident or fight the officer will see it."

Along with the computer feed, the high school will also house a server that will be used to tape all footage the camera captures. Walker said the tapes will then be used for playback of crimes that occur during the weekends or after-school hours.  

"If something happens and no one saw who did it we can look back at those tapes and easily tell who was responsible," Walker said.

Walker and Lowry were uncertain of how many break-ins or acts of vandalism occurred during the 2004-2005 school year but both said they were problems that needed to be curbed.

According to Walker the surveillance system was made possible through funding from a national grant as well as matched funds from MHS.

He said a grant is currently in the works to install a similar system at Iowa Valley Community College. Local banks and convenience stores are also looking into installing systems, he said.
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Stephanie Suckow may be reached at stephanies@timesrepublican.com